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Are You Ready To Rock?

Last night I had my face rocked off at the opening performance of Rock of Ages. Not literally, of course, though at times it came pretty close. Returning to Minneapolis on another national tour, this was not my first experience with the show; however, I found myself surprised by how thoroughly entertained I was as if I was seeing it for the first time once again.

You know the music of course – power ballads and rock anthems of the 80s fill the soundtrack, drawing in the least likely suspects to be attending a musical theater performance. Journey, Foreigner, Pat Benatar, REO Speedwagon – there’s something for everyone to enjoy. I’m sure you’re thinking back right now to previews of the movie starring Tom Cruise, Julianne Hough and Alec Baldwin. Don’t. I haven’t personally seen it, but have heard it’s terrible and not at all representative of how great the musical is.

A classic LA story of a girl who wants to become an actress and a guy who wants to be a rockstar, the storyline is a bit loose but the entertainment is totally solid. I listen to the soundtrack fairly often but had truly forgotten how much fun it is to see the performance live – the energy from the crowd is electric, and it’s clear to see that the entertainers really love what they’re doing and are having just as good of a time as the audience. The show is filled with humor, with the cast demonstrating strong comedic skills in addition to their vocal chops. Trust me when I tell you that it’s absolutely necessary for you to see this show if you’ve ever considered watching the movie adaptation – you’ll be glad you did.

Sadly, Rock of Ages is only in town through tomorrow with the last performance at 6:30 on Sunday, May 19th. The good new is you’ve still got 3 chances to catch a performance before they head off to Ohio for their next tour stop. Click here to buy your tickets, head to the Orpheum Theatre, and get ready to to be rocked.